


Oh Four Sure

by neerdowellwolf



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Bisexual Character, Blow Jobs, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Hand Jobs, Lack of Communication, M/M, Pining, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-14 03:20:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17500583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neerdowellwolf/pseuds/neerdowellwolf
Summary: “It's a favor alright.” Auston picks at the hem of his shirt and clears his throat lightly. “I was thinking you could pretend to be my date.”At the word date Mo's heart leaps against his chest like Maggie when does when he first comes home at the end the season.“Yeah, I said I could go.” Mo shrugs.“I mean my date,” Auston emphasizes. “We'd pretend we're together.” He says each word so slow it takes Mo a while to process.“Like,” Mo takes a breath. “We tell people I'm your boyfriend? I act like I'm your boyfriend?”“I'd owe you so big.”





	Oh Four Sure

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all ever watch this video and just think that even TSN can see that Auston is [SPRUNG](https://t.co/nBA2I7PiHY)?

Mo hates flying right after games. It's 2:30 in the morning and the adrenaline from his two point night against Arizona is bleeding into a bone deep exhaustion that's par for the course this late in the season. 

He settles into his seat, eyes slipping shut before they’ve even begun to taxi down the runway. When he wakes they're in the air and Auston is sitting next to him, scrolling through his phone. 

“No Go Fish for you tonight?” Mo asks, his voice rough from sleep. He shifts and pulls the blanket higher. Someone must have put it over him when he fell asleep. 

“It's called Gin, Morgan.” He's in his soft Leafs hoodie, jaw nuzzled into the cowl. Mo wants to press his face there. It's not a new thought, but he tries not to dwell on it. 

“Look at this outfit.” Auston holds his out phone . There’s a picture of Russell Westbrook in a tan suit over a neon yellow hoodie. “Could I pull that off?”

“Fuck yeah you could. Wait,” he reaches back out for the phone. “Are his shoes the same color as the hoodie?”

Auston grins. “Dope right?” 

Mo can see notifications popping up on Auston’s phone. “How are the DMs looking after that game?” 

Auston shrugs. “I should ask you.”

Mo passes over his phone. “Not like I'm ever going to respond.”

“Why not?” Auston tilts Mo's phone at him to show a selfie from a truly stunning brunette. 

Mo's eyes are starting to feel heavy again. “It just doesn't seem like a good way to meet someone.”

Auston locks the phone and hands it back. “Trust me, it's a great way to meet people.”

“Yeah, if you don't want something serious.” Mo should have taken his shoes off, but it's too late now. “That's why it's perfect for you.”

Auston might respond, but Mo is already asleep. He wakes when they hit the runway in Vancouver. Auston is sleeping, face tipped towards him. 

-

Mo remembers the years before Auston was drafted. There were nights he and Gards would go back to their apartment after a game, preferring to be home rather than face a disappointed and angry Toronto. He's glad Auston doesn't know what that's like. 

They lost tonight, but at least they'd scraped out a point against Winnipeg in OT. They're crammed into the VIP area of some loud club Willy loves. Mo sort of hates it, but they make the drinks strong, so he doesn't complain. 

Freddie slams a couple shots down on the bar in front of him. Mo wants to ask what they're for, but Freddie got pulled in the third, so he says nothing, clinking his glass on the bar and downing it. 

“Let's go hang out at my place,” Freddie says. “This DJ sucks.”

Mo nods. Auston is across the room talking to a statuesque blonde woman and it's obvious from their body language they're going to be leaving soon too. He tries not to stare, or think about it.

They wait for the car outside; Freddie isn't talking, so Mo doesn't either. 

He’s scrolling through insta, wondering if maybe he should respond to his DMs for a change when something catches his eye. He turns to see Auston and the blonde walking to a sedan at the curb. Auston opens the door for her and she climbs in. Instead of getting in with her he leans in, so Mo can’t see his face. Then he closes the door and waves as the car drives off. 

He sees them when he turns around. “Hey are you leaving?”

“We’re going to Fred’s.” 

“Hell yeah, I’m coming.” Auston steps in the space between the two of them, so they each have to shift over. “We playing Zombies?”

Mo looks at Freddie who just shrugs, but Mo can see his expression start to lighten. 

“So, why didn’t you leave with that absolute rocket?” Mo asks as they settle onto Freddie’s couch. 

“Who says I wanted to? Maybe I’m going to take her out to dinner tomorrow.” Mo can hear Freddie snort from where he’s making a frozen pizza in the kitchen. “What? I could be?”

“But are you?” Morgan stretches, one of his vertebrae giving a satisfying pop. He doesn’t look at Auston. 

“I mean, no.” Freddie laughs again in the kitchen. “But I totally could have been. She has like roommates or whatever and my Mom is still in town. Whatever.”

“Why don’t you just go on insta.” Freddie asks, setting glasses full of water on the coffee table. 

Auston sighs. “That’s not a good way to meet people, Fred.” 

Mo Laughs, choking on his water. Auston gives him a lopsided grin. 

Freddie full on laughs, which is good. “Ok, Matts.” 

They continue to bicker, but Mo doesn’t pay attention. He doesn’t really trust himself to look at Auston right now. Eventually he wanders into Freddie’s guest room and collapses onto the bed. He barely has the energy to take his suit off before he passes out. 

-

“Hey,” Auston says, plopping himself into Naz’s stall. “What are you doing this summer?”

Mo is gross from the game. He's still in his under armor after being tapped for interviews for getting 2nd star even with the loss. Auston is freshly showered, which just makes Mo more conscious of how disgusting he feels. 

“BC mostly.” He's been thinking it might be fun to go somewhere cool this year, everyone on instagram keeps posting pictures from Iceland, but mostly he just wants to go home. 

“Yeah, yeah cool,” Auston says, nodding. “Do you wanna come to a wedding with me?”

“A what?” He really should get in the shower before his energy flags. He never does a good job when he's too tired and ends up showering again when he gets home. 

“A wedding.” Auston rubs the back of his neck and Mo wonders if he's nervous, even though he’s probably just sore from the hit he took from Wood in the third. “My ex is getting married and I don't wanna show up alone.”

“Makes sense,” Mo says, and tries to pretend like the thought of attending a wedding with Auston doesn't make his heart rate spike dangerously. “Yeah, sure.”

“Cool,” Auston says and smiles in that wide blazing way he started doing this season. He reaches his index finger out and Mo presses their fingertips together before making a beeline for the showers. 

Auston is still there when he gets out, lounging right where Mo left him. Freddie is still around too. Mo assumes they’re waiting for each other until Auston looks up from his phone as Mo approaches. “Hey can I catch a ride? I rode in with Mitch. ”

“And you can’t ride home with Mitch?” There’s a drop of water slipping down his back. It sends a shiver up his spine. 

“Matts is too important to ride both ways with the same person I guess!” Mitch yells from across the room. Mo hadn’t realized he was still here. 

“Don’t be jealous, Marns.” Auston winks.

“He wanted to give you the hard sell on the new CoD,” Willy says, coming in from the showers. “He’s under a lot of pressure to hit his sales targets.”

Mitch grimaces. “Ha ha ha. Keep your Fortnite, ya so basic.”

“And Call of Duty is some independent bespoke shit?” Willy flips his hair out of his face dramatically. 

The conversation continues but Auston leans into Mo’s space. “So, it's cool if I ride with you?”

Mo shrugs. “Obviously.” 

“Obviously.” Auston smirks. 

-

Mo pulls up in front of Auston’s building. Auston doesn’t make a move to get out of his car, so he puts it in park and turns in his seat. 

“So, about the wedding,” Auston starts. 

“Did you already find someone else to take,” Mo says, trying to make a joke. Auston’s eyes dart to his. “Dude, I'm kidding, you literally just invited me.”

“It's a favor alright.” Auston picks at the hem of his shirt. He clears his throat lightly. “I was thinking you could pretend to be my date.”

At the word date Mo's heart leaps against his chest like Maggie when does when he first comes home after the season. 

“Yeah, I said I could go.” Mo shrugs. 

“I mean my date,” Auston emphasizes. “Like, pretend we're together.” He says each word so slow it takes Mo a while to process.

“Like,” Mo takes a breath. “We tell people I'm your boyfriend? I act like I'm your boyfriend?”

“I'd owe you so big.”

“Why?”

“I know it's stupid, but Nina and I grew up together and then we dated while I was at the NTDP. When we broke she said I could never actually serious about anyone.” Auston blows out a breath. “I just want to show her she's wrong.”

“But she's not wrong.” It's the wrong thing to say. Mo knows that immediately by the hurt look that crosses Auston's face.

“Wow, thanks Mo.” 

Mo wants to apologize, but he's not sure what to apologize for. Auston has never attempted to date anyone has long as Mo has known him. He's never even implied he wants that.

“You know how you can make it up to me?” Auston smiles, his smaller more private smile. Its Mo’s favorite. “Be my date to her wedding this summer. I can prove you and Nina wrong.”

“Ok,” Mo says. It's almost a relief Auston has let him agree under the guise of an apology. He was always going to say yes. 

“Awesome! I would have asked Mitch, but I've seen his commercials, he's a terrible actor.”

Mo laughs, but it's a hollow. It's not like he thought anything about this meant anything, but he must have been allowing himself to feel at least a little special. Sure it's fake, but Auston still wanted to bring him home to show him off. It could have just as easily been someone else. 

He lets Auston get out of the car, waves goodbye and lets his face fall. 

-

“What color suit are you going to wear?” Auston puts down his plate and drops into the seat next to Mo.

“I think I brought the gray one.” It's still so early and Mo hasn't gotten through his first cup of coffee yet.

“No not tonight, to the wedding.” 

Mo chokes a little on his scrambled egg. “It's like four months away.”

“Yeah, but I'm getting something custom, so I have to plan in advance.”

Mo takes a sip of orange juice and stares at Auston. He looks more chipper than usual for team breakfast. 

“It's going to be hot, so probably linen. It's in Sedona, so it's not as bad as Phoenix…”

“Wait, do you want to match?”

Auston rolls his eyes. “Obviously not, Mo, but we have to coordinate.”

Mo actually has already thought about it. He had an appointment with his stylist the week before and mentioned it. But but he's not going to tell Auston that.

“I don't know, probably navy.”

“Ok cool, that works. We can both do navy.” Auston types out something on his phone. “What color tie?”

“I don’t know.” Morgan thought blue, but that seems too boring to admit. 

Auston looks up and scrutinizes him for a moment. 

Mitchy throws himself into the chair opposite them. “Don't wear hats, that's our thing.”

“We weren't going to wear hats, Marns,” Auston says. “We have our own thing.”

“Being fake wedding dates is not a thing,” Mitch says around a bite of toast. 

“Hater.” Auston turns back to Mo. “Can you get me a swatch from your suit fabric? Not all navy is the same you know?” 

“You got it, GQ.” Mo gets up to get more coffee. He takes a deep breath. It will be fine, they’ve been on a hundred road trips together. The wedding will be just like that. It will be fine, Mo repeats to himself until he can almost believe it.

-

Mo is a little drunk the next time Auston brings it up. They’re at Mitch's house watching football when Auston leans into Mo's space during a commercial. 

“So I was thinking about how we tell people we got together. “

“Uh,” Morgan says. 

Mitch flops down on the couch. “Can we help? Tell them I Parent Trapped you!”

Morgan squints. “That makes no sense.” 

“Uh hello it makes perfect sense.”

“I'm not your dad,” Morgan mumbles. 

Auston nods thoughtfully. “That could work.”

“Just tell em you banged until Matts caught feelings,” Naz says from the other couch. 

Mitch claps. “Oooooh good one.” 

Mo tries to keep his face as blank as possible, but when Willy says, “Oh I know!” he practically jumps out of his seat.

“I gotta pee.” 

“We're going to make up the story without you!” Mitch yells as he retreats to the bathroom. 

“Aus, make them pick something not embarassing!” 

Auston laughs. “Not a chance!”

By the time he gets back Auston has spilled his beer on Mitch's couch and they're arguing over whether or it’s ruined or not.

-

Halfway through packing for Arizona Mo gives up and pours himself a glass of Cabernet. He drinks it while staring resentfully at his overfilled suitcase before giving it up and grabbing the bigger one out of the closet. It’s too big for a long weekend, but he has no idea what you wear when you’re Auston Matthews’s fake boyfriend. He pours himself another glass and throws in a third pair of jeans.

-

Mo turns off airplane mode as soon as his plane touches down in Phoenix. He hasn't even managed to unlock his phone before a notification from Auston pops up. “Text me when you land.” It's unusual for Auston, usually when they meet up Auston acts like it was serendipitous happenstance instead of set plans. Mo wonders if he's stressed about the wedding.

_Just landed. Where should I meet you?_

_Alright, see you soon_

Mo doesn't bother to respond. He texts Gards a bunch of American flag emojis and grabs his bag from the overhead bin. The flight attendant hands him his garment bag and he smiles at her. He's barely paying attention to his surroundings, but when he gets to the top of the gangway he looks up and sees Auston standing there. 

Mo stops short and the harried woman behind him walks right into his back, because Auston is standing there, clearly waiting for him. Mo mumbles an apology to the woman who glares at him. 

“Hey Juicy,” Mo says. He knows he's probably smiling too wide, but he lets himself have this. “Been waiting long?”

Auston laughs and ducks his head. “Here, I got you coffee.” He holds out a cup to Mo who takes it automatically. It's still warm.

“You got me coffee?” Mo is so thrown he doesn't argue when Auston takes both of his bags from him and starts walking through the terminal.

“You got up early,” Auston says, like its no big deal. Like he gets Mo coffee all the time.

There's a man standing by the baggage claim holding a sign that says, “Matthews/Reilly.” Mo rolls his eyes. “Laying it on a little thick?”

Auston grins at him. “Too much?”

“No way, you're a great boyfriend.” Mo hopes the chirp lands and his heart isn't splashed across his sleeve. Auston chuckles and keeps walking. 

As they drive north of the city Auston fills him in on the agenda for the weekend. Tonight they're free until welcome drinks at 9. 

When they pull up at the hotel Auston insists on opening Mo's door even though a valet is like a foot away. 

“Don't blow your whole boyfriend wad before the wedding even starts,” Mo says as they head into the lobby, Auston’s hand low on his back. 

“You gotta warm up before the game, Morgan.” 

It turns out they’re booked into a room with one King, because Nina’s maid of honor organized the hotel bloc.

“She asked couples to book the rooms with kings, because it’s a small hotel.” Auston's the one who's embarrassed, but it's Mo who feels exposed. “I should have told you.”

“Its fine. Kings are huge, not like we've never crashed in the same bed.”

The room turns out to be a suite, complete with two balconies, one with a hot tub. 

“Nice.”

“Hell yeah, you love hot tubs.” Auston comes up behind him and puts his hand on Mo's back before quickly pulling it away.

Mo feels his heart jump traitorously in his chest. All athletes love hot tubs, it's not like it's special that Auston knows he does. It's just Mo remembers the first time they really hung out. Just the two of them. Auston had listened as Mo talked about signing his first contract. How the first thing he did was pay off his parents’ mortgage, but the second thing he bought was his own hot tub. It's why he lives in a townhouse instead of one of the high rises like most of the guys. 

Auston is still smiling at him, like he wants Mo to tell him he did a good job. As if he isn't Auston Matthews and good at everything. 

“You're such a showboater.” 

Auston grins. “I did so good, I'm going to be the best wedding date you've ever had.” 

Mo doesn't say it's not much of a contest because the only date he ever had to a wedding was his ex and by the time it came around it was clear they were falling apart. When she'd cried during the ceremony Mo had understood they weren't happy tears. 

He doesn't say any of that, and he especially doesn't mention that every time Auston says the word date Mo wants to get up and leave the room, because he's sure his face will give away just how much he wants. 

Mo looks at Auston, in his ripped jeans and his ridiculous t-shirt and he almost can’t breath with how intensely he feels. Normally he handles it just fine, his carefully crafted veneer only cracking late at night or when he's exhausted after a long game. But here, as Auston’s date, he's not sure he's prepared for this. He'll slip, he knows he will and then Auston will know he's stupid in love with him and everything will be fucked. He’s seen what happens when the people Auston dates start having real feelings and he’s not exactly ready for a “You’re great, but I’m really busy” text. 

For the moment, Auston remains blissfully unaware, hanging up their suits in the closet and flipping on the TV.

Mo naps for a an hour and when he wakes up Auston is on the balcony scrolling on his phone. He doesn't seem to notice when Mo comes up behind him. He tries not to look, but Auston is scrolling through his DMs, a mix of the most beautiful men and women Mo's ever seen, as usual. 

He falls into the chair at the other end of the balcony. “Keeping busy?”

“Just waiting for you to wake up, baby.” Always the charmer. 

“No ‘baby’,” Mo says. Auston shrugs like it makes no difference to him, because it doesn’t. They’re fake boyfriends for three days. Three days that Mo needs to get through without showing just how much he wants it to be real. 

“Drinks aren’t until 9, want to have dinner before?” Auston actually puts his phone down and shifts his body towards Mo. 

Mo shrugs. “Yeah, sure. Where do you want to go?” 

“The restaurant downstairs is supposed to be good.” 

“You love a hotel restaurant.” Mo finally feels the fog of his nap recede. “So basic.”

“It’s a nice hotel, boo.”

“No ‘boo’.” 

“No?” Auston’s phone is still sitting on the bench next to him. Even though Mo can hear it buzzing, he hasn’t picked it up. He’s focused so intensely on Mo it’s almost overwhelming. 

“Sorry, bud.” 

Auston crinkles his nose. “Bud’s a shitty pet name.”

“I’ll just stick with Matts then, eh?” 

“You know I’d never try to change you.” Auston keeps looking into his eyes and Mo doesn’t quite know what to do with his hands, so he looks out at the red desert surrounding the resort. He’s never spent any real time in Arizona, just the odd off day when they play the Coyotes, and even then he’s never really left Phoenix. He hadn’t realized how beautiful it was, completely different from anywhere else he’s ever been. 

He tries to think about Auston growing up here, playing hockey where there shouldn’t even be ice. It makes sense, Auston makes a place for himself wherever he goes, not by fitting into a space that’s already there, but by making it fit him. 

Auston clears his throat. “Ok, so like, can I hold your hand?”

Morgan goes cold and then very very warm. “Um, what?”

“This weekend, I just figure we should like just talk about what’s cool, because Nina and I were kind of, um, affectionate.”

“Sure, sure,” Mo says and nods. His palm is sweaty just thinking about it. “It has to seem real.”

“Yeah, exactly! 

“I guess I’ll just, um, follow your lead?” 

Auston grins. “You’re the best, Fours.”

“I’m going to take a shower,” Mo says suddenly and gets up. Auston nods and picks up his phone. Mo doesn’t stick around to see what messages are waiting for him. 

Mo tries takes a leisurely shower, letting the warm water relax the tension in his shoulders. He hadn’t planned on it, but once he’s there he lets his hand drift down his body and starts to gently stroking himself. It can’t hurt to resolve a little tension before he spends the entire night engaging in fake PDA with Auston. 

Mo's dick jumps in his hand as soon as he thinks about Auston and he tries not to, but he can't help but imagine Auston’s hands, his body. It's over embarrassingly quickly after that, Mo coming with a surprised cry. There's a pit in his belly and he's not sure if it's shame, anticipation or both. 

Auston is already dressed when Mo comes out of the bathroom. He's in one of the outfits that Mo's gotten used to over the last year, as Auston has gotten more comfortable with his passion for fashion. He’s wearing a button up red floral shirt with a grey cardigan over it. His slacks are tailored tight and Mo let's his eyes linger just for a bit. 

“You dressed up?”

“I asked my mom. She said I should, because the wedding party is coming right from the rehearsal dinner.”

“Thanks Mrs. Matthews.” Mo is relieved he overpacked. He even brought a shirt with little cactuses all over it, so he wouldn't seem hopelessly dull next to whatever outfit Auston put together. 

“Aren't you going to tell me I look nice?” Auston is lounging in one of the chairs, feet up on the coffee table. 

Mo focuses on pulling on his jeans. “You look good, Matts. You always look good.” He doesn't know why he says the second thing, but Auston doesn't chirp him, and when Mo glances over, it almost looks like he’s blushing. 

“I guess if you keep saying romantic shit, I can forgive you for wearing jeans for our first date.” 

“It's not our first date,” Mo says. Also, they're really nice jeans. “We're supposed to be boyfriends now.”

“And you're already taking me for granted.” Auston shakes his head and pulls a Red Bull out of the mini fridge. 

“How long are we saying we've been together anyway?” Mo has to kind of raise his voice, because Auston has wandered into the bathroom, presumably to work more product into his hair. 

“Nine months.” 

Nine months. Almost the whole season. Mo thinks about all the people he'd watched Auston go home with during that time. “I guess we’re not monogamous eh?” He says it quietly, but Auston had come back from the bathroom without Mo noticing.

“I wouldn't,” Auston says quietly. “If it were real, I wouldn't.”

“Oh.” Mo isn't quite sure what to say to that, so he settles for a chirp. “Obviously, if you were coming home to all this.”

Auston smiles, but with his mouth closed. “I like your shirt.” 

“Thanks, Matty. I wanted to celebrate your desert heritage.”

“You're a great fake boyfriend.” Auston smiles and this time it's wider, it makes Mo smile back. 

“Obviously, that's why you asked me.” 

“Right.” Auston reaches over and adjusts Mo's collar. It feels intimate in a benign sort of way, like something Auston might do in a real relationship. 

“Dinner?” Mo says, trying to plow through. 

“Yeah, let’s do it.” If Auston notices Mo acting weird he doesn't let on. 

The restaurant in the hotel isn't that full, but Auston apparently had a reservation. They're sat at a table outside with a perfect view of the sun setting over the desert. 

There's a candle on their table and music playing softly in the background. It's like any other time the two of them have been out to dinner together, but somehow it still feels different, not like a date, but not not like one. Before they've had a chance to order their waiter approaches the table with a bottle of champagne. 

“Mr. Matthews, compliments of the house.” 

Auston smiles graciously and shakes the guys hand which seems to surprise and please him. 

“That was fast,” Mo says as he raises his glass to clink against Auston’s. 

“Well, I came down while you were sleeping to scope the best table. The hostess recognized me. I made a video message for her nephew.”

“The pride of Arizona.” 

Auston shakes his head. “Only to the like 30 people here who care about hockey.”

“So, you hand picked this table?” Mo takes a sip of the champagne. It is very good. Not the best he's ever had, but he tries really hard not to get used to that kind of thing.

“Yeah, like, that's what I would do if it was our first trip as a couple.” Auston's hand is so big around the delicate stem of his glass. “I'd obviously make sure it was perfect.”

Mo opens his mouth, but nothing really comes into his mind to say. It's like Auston is making this specifically excruciating for him. He knows this is fake, he knows, but Auston keeps doing things that make it feel more real. 

He's saved from his own awkwardness by a booming voice yelling, “Auston fuckin Matthews!” 

A stocky blond guy in a dark grey suit is heading straight for their table. Mo glances at Auston to gauge his reaction and at first he thinks it must be a fan, but then Auston is getting up and giving the guy a quick back slapping hug. “Hey man, good to see you!”

“I didn't realize you were coming, this is fucking awesome.” 

Mo gets up, because he feels weird being the only one sitting. Auston glances at him and he looks a little nervous suddenly. 

“Hey, I'm Morgan.” Mo reaches out and shakes the guy’s hand easily. He's handsome, in a bland Ivy League way. 

“Dan. Nice to meet you, man.” He glances between them. “Well, I don't want to interrupt your dinner. You'll be at drinks later yeah?”

“Hell yeah,” Auston says, patting him again on the arm. “We’ll catch up”

Auston waits as he watches Dan walk back inside. “I'm so sorry, I should have introduced you, but I couldn't fucking remember his name.”

“I figured. That's why I introduced myself.”

“Oh, all right. Thank you.” He fidgets with his napkin. Mo doesn't think he's ever seen him fidget. “I just didn't want you to think, I don't know.” 

“Its chill, Matts.” Mo doesn't know what possesses him, but he puts his hand on Auston's knee under the table. “I got your back.”

“You’re like my date and my emotional support dog.”

“Wow, thanks.” Mo realizes something suddenly. “You’re nervous.”

“What? No I’m not.” 

“You totally are,” Mo says. “It’s fine, man, your ex’s wedding is a normal thing to be nervous about.”

“I just want this weekend to go well.”

Morgan gives his knee a squeeze against his better judgement. “It’s going to be perfect.”

Auston smiles at him so wide Mo’s heart breaks, just a little.

The welcome party is being thrown in a bar that's on the other side of the resort from where they are. To get there they walk along a narrow path lit with small lanterns. The light bounces off Auston’s profile as they walk. He has light stubble on his jaw that looks accidental, but Mo knows is actually carefully groomed. 

Mo is asking about the people who they're likely to meet tonight when Auston interrupts. “Is it alright if,” and grabs Mo's hand. At first the position awkward and Mo has an urge to apologize, but when Auston tangles their fingers together everything feels right. 

“I should get you a little service dog vest,” Auston says. “So people know not to pet you while you’re working.”

“Ha ha, fuck off,” he says, but he doesn’t let go of Auston’s hand. 

They keep walking, towards the sound of voices and music. Auston squeezes his hand as they enter and Mo doesn't usually get nervous meeting new people, but it makes him feel better anyway. 

Mo see Dan across the room, but Auston steers him to a tall lanky guy standing by the bar. 

“Oh shit, hide yo husbands, hide yo wives!” He yells when he sees Auston approaching. Auston drops Mo's hand to hug him. 

“Hey brotha!” Auston steps back to put his arm around Mo. “Brian, this is Morgan.”

“Hey man, nice to meet you,” Brian says. “I grew up next to this guy.” 

“Oh wow, so way back?” Mo likes the feeling of Auston's hand warm on his back. He likes all the attention Auston’s been lavishing on him. It’s like he’s Danny Ocean, walking right through the casino floor, even though he just emptied out the vault. 

Brian laughs. He has an open face and Mo likes him right away. “I actually came to a game this year. I can't believe Matty didn't introduce us.”

Mo tenses up. How did they think they were going to get away with this? People are going to wonder why Auston has never mentioned him.

“He was out that game,” Auston says. “Didn't need your clumsy ass jeopardizing his recovery.”

“You're embarrassed of me,” Brian says. “I get it, you don't want Morgan realizing he made a huge mistake.”

“Oh, I realized that a long time ago.” Mo winks at Auston who makes a big show of looking offended. 

Brian laughs. “Oh Matty, I like him.”

Mo expects a chirp, but instead Auston says, “Yeah me too,” and presses a quick kiss to Mo’s cheek. 

Brian's eyes go a little wide, but he doesn't say anything. “Oh hey, I wanna go say hi to Nina’s dad.” He slaps Mo on the shoulder. “Let's catch up later, I have so many embarrassing stories about him to tell you.”

“I can't wait.”

Auston leans into Mo and whispers, “I've never done anything embarrassing in my entire life.” He says it softly, directly in Mo's ear, so he can feel the warmth of his breath. 

Mo tries his best to ignore that Auston still has his mouth close to his ear. “I saw you almost cry when you came in 2nd in Fortnite once.” 

“I'm competitive.” He says it like he means something else and this time Mo can't help but shiver. 

“That's one word for it.”

Auston laughs softly, but they're so close Mo can feel the way his whole body moves with it. 

“Buy me a drink, hot shot,” Mo says, mostly to give himself a reason to pull away, put some distance between them. 

The night is mostly nice. Mo meets a few more people who knew Auston when he was a kid. Nina is busy talking to her family for most of the night, so Mo doesn’t actually get introduced to her. Of course that doesn’t stop him from running into her as he’s coming out of the bathroom. 

“Hi!” She says brightly, clearly a little tipsy. 

“Hi,” Mo says back. 

“You’re Auston’s boyfriend.”

“Yes, yes I am.” It sends a little thrill through him. 

“Good, you seem nice. You have a nice face.”

Mo laughs a little. “I am nice.”

She looks serious suddenly. “Good, because if you break his heart I will be super mad at you. Auston is like my only nice ex and he deserves to be happy.”

“Uh, I won’t.” 

“Thank you.” She throws her arms around him. “Thank you for coming to my wedding.”

Mo hugs her back and then scuttles back into the party when she lets him go. 

-

It's late and Mo isn't drunk, but he's had enough that he's tired and letting himself lean into Auston’s side as they talk to some of the groom’s friends who live in Chicago and have a lot of opinions about Jonathan Toews. 

The guys, Mo can't really remember any of their names, he's been thinking of them as the Toews Baes in his head, order a round of shots, but Mo demures. 

“Want to get out of here?” Auston asks.

Mo nods and leans his head against Auston’s arm. Maybe he's more drunk than he realized. 

Auston says goodbye to the Toews Baes, whose names he seems to actually know. They try to convince them to stay out, but Auston stays firm, promising they'll hang out at the reception. 

They walk back and other than the lights on the path the night is pitch dark. Mo lets Auston hold his hand even though there's no one around to see. He enjoys how big Auston's hand feels around his.

The light in the lobby is soft, but it's still bright after how dark it was outside. Mo drops Auston’s hand without thinking about it. Auston frowns a little, but doesn't say anything until they're in the elevator. 

“Thank you for doing this.”

Mo leans against the mirrored wall and smiles. “You're welcome. You’re ex gave me the shovel talk by the way.”

“Nina did?” He throws his arm over Mo's shoulder and leads him down the hallway. Mo sighs and it's probably a little embarrassing, but Auston is holding him so close he can't bring himself to regret a thing. 

“Do you have any other exes at this wedding?”

“Nah, that’s funny though. I’m sorry I missed it.”

Mo gets ready for bed in a trance, moving around Auston in silence. He climbs into bed first and lets Auston turn off the lights one by one. It feels domestic and the easy familiarity makes Mo's heart hurt. When it's completely dark Auston climbs in next to him. 

They lay silently for a moment. The bed is big enough that they're not close, not really, but Mo can't escape the feeling that they could reach out and touch each other. 

Auston shifts and Mo can tell immediately he's going to speak. “If this were real, do you like little spoon or big?”

“Uh,” Mo stumbles. He's always been the big spoon. He'd never really considered anything else until this moment. “I've always been the big spoon.”

“Always?” It's dark, but Mo can almost imagine Auston’s face, almost serious but for the small quirk of his mouth.

“Yeah, I guess so.” All of Mo's serious relationships have been with women who were smaller than him. Before Auston, liking men had been mostly theoretical, but he doesn’t say any of that. 

“I mean, if we were dating we could cuddle however you wanted.” 

Mo's breath catches in his throat. He hopes it's not obvious how affected he is just by thinking about cuddling with Auston. “If we were really dating.” Which they're not. Mo can't cuddle with Auston, because then he'll never not know how it feels. 

Auston doesn't say anything else and Mo listens to his breathing until it evens out. It takes him a long to fall asleep wondering what Auston's arms would feel like wrapped around him.

-

They wake up early to go golfing with Brian and his brother Cam. Golf is more Auston’s thing than Mo’s, but Mo finds that he enjoys everything more when Auston is around. The course is gorgeous, but even at nine in the morning it's already blazingly hot. 

Through the entire round Auston doesn't try to hold his hand once. Mo thought this might be a relief, but he finds himself missing it, wondering if he ruined things last night. He mentions it as they walk back from the clubhouse to the main hotel building. 

“You're just really competitive,” Auston says. Brian and Cam are 15 feet ahead of them, but he still keeps his voice low. “Even if we were really dating I figured you wouldn't want that while we were golfing.”

“Oh.” Mo doesn't typically think of himself as overly competitive, but he supposes his comparison of other professional athletes skews his perception a bit.

“Why? Would you want to? Like, if it were real or whatever.”

Mo thinks about it. Thinks about today and Auston and all the times he had thought about Auston, wishing he could touch him. “I think in the cart would be ok.” 

“In the cart, huh?” Auston is tanner than he is during the season. Mo likes the way his white shorts look against his skin. 

“Oh for sure.”

Auston laughs. “Oh for sure.” He reaches for Mo's hand as they enter the lobby, the AC instantly cooling the sweat on their skin.

Mo takes his hand and their fingers slot together automatically. He likes how natural it already feels. 

They have a few hours until the wedding, so Mo goes to the tiny hotel gym and tries to clear his head with a short workout. He's half paying attention to an episode of Family Feud while he cools down on the bike when the door to the gym chimes. Mo turns to see Dan, who steps onto the Treadmill next to him.

“Hey man,” Dan says as he programs in his workout and starts walking. 

Mo nods back. He's not quite sure what to say, so he takes a long gulp of water. 

“So, you and Auston. How long have you guys been together?” 

“Nine months,” Mo says, probably too fast. “We starting dating last season.” He knows most people don't measure their lives in hockey seasons, but he heard Dan talking Auston’s ear off about the Kings’ power play problems, so he figures he probably gets it.

“That's cool.” He picks up his pace as the treadmill speeds up. “And you were like, friends first.”

Mo knows he's just making conversation, but he feels defensive anyway, like Dan knows he's hiding something and wants to uncover it. On the other hand, Mo has been hiding this for a year, has never talked about how he feels, not even to Gards. 

“Yeah, we were friends. His first season we hung out a lot, but I guess I just didn't see him like that.” Mo’s cool down is technically done, but he keeps pedaling. “There was so much pressure on him, I just wanted to make sure he had some fun.”

“You're the dad friend huh?” 

Mo laughs. “I get that lot.” He takes a breath. “So last season we come back and I don't know, it was like seeing him for the first time or something?”

“That's romantic as fuck, bro.” 

“Yeah, so I realized I was in love with him and the rest is history.” Mo has never said that out loud. Never really even let himself admit it, but here in this shitty hotel gym that reeks of disinfectant, to some random childhood friend of Auston's, he finally lets it out. 

“Damn, so you told him you loved him.” Dan sounds genuinely moved. “That's awesome, bro. People are so afraid to put themselves out there, but it's important to be honest about your feelings.”

“Yeah, I told him how I felt and it all worked out,” Mo says. After finally telling the truth, the lie feels like ash on his tongue. He gets up from his bike. “Ok, see you at the ceremony.”

Dan nods and holds up his first for Mo to bump. 

Mo walks back to the room in a haze. Sure it's good to be honest, but there are reasons not to be. Like when the person you're in love with is Toronto's most eligible bachelor and one of your best friends. It’s not worth losing him completely just because Mo can’t keep his feelings in check. 

Auston is lounging on the couch watching a Diamondbacks game when Mo walks in. He's in his boxers and his hair is still wet and plastered to his skin. 

“Hi honey, I'm home.” Mo says, putting extra sing song into it. 

“You said no to honey.” Auston grins and puts his phone face down on the couch next to him. 

“I don't really get pet names.” It's like being a little honest has opened the floodgates. “They always seemed silly to me I guess.” 

“What do you like to be called then?” Auston leans forward, his arms braced on his thighs. 

“Mo,” Mo says and tries to laugh it off. Auston kind of flinches, which makes Mo feel guilty. He's so used to shutting himself down in these situations, but he thinks maybe for this weekend, while they're already pretending, he can let some things slip. “I like it when girls, people, call me by my last name.”

Auston smirks and stands up. Mo realized he's still standing by the door, hasn't really moved further into the room. Auston crosses the room towards him. He gets about a foot away and stops. Mo holds his breath. Auston leans in and says in a low voice, “You should take a shower, Reilly. We don't want to be late.”

Mo laughs, a short surprised one. “Ok, Matthews, I'll get right on that.” He slips past Auston towards the bathroom. He has his shirt pulled halfway off when Auston leans against the door jam. 

“You're right, I thought it would feel like Babs or something, but it’s kinda hot.” 

Mo closes the bathroom door behind him, so Auston can't see him blush. He can’t help yelling through the door, “Don’t lie, you think Babs is hot.”

“You’re the only older man I’m into!”

“I’m three years older than you!” 

“Don’t slip in the shower and break a hip!” 

Mo turns on the shower and ignores Auston laughing, still just outside the door. 

-

The ceremony is held inside, because even though it’s late in the day it's still ninety degrees outside. There's a huge picture window behind the altar with sweeping views of the desert vista. The priest gives a little speech to open it up, which is kind of boring, but nice. Then one of Nina’s friends reads a poem. Mo has never heard it before, not that he knows a lot of poems, but he's been to enough weddings since joining the league that he's heard a lot of repeats. 

_I came to you one rainless August night._  
You taught me how to live without the rain.  
You are thirst and thirst is all I know.  
You are sand, wind, sun, and burning sky,  
The hottest blue. You blow a breeze and brand  
Your breath into my mouth. You reach—then bend  
Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new.  
You wrap your name tight around my ribs  
And keep me warm. I was born for you.  
Above, below, by you, by you surrounded.  
I wake to you at dawn. Never break your  
Knot. Reach, rise, blow, Sálvame, mi dios,  
Trágame, mi tierra. Salva, traga, Break me,  
I am bread. I will be the water for your thirst.

Mo reaches over and takes Auston’s hand. When his brain catches up with him he panics and glances over, but Auston is looking back at him and he doesn't seem surprised or disgusted; Mo thinks he looks relieved.

Maybe Mo has been so focused on pretending not to be in love with Auston he's been doing a bad job pretending to be Auston's boyfriend. He remembers an episode of a cartoon he used to watch as a kid where Halloween was the one night of the year the monsters could walk down the street, because everyone assumed they were in costumes. Maybe tonight Mo doesn't have to hide how he feels, because tonight everyone, Auston included, will assume he's pretending.

He leans toward Auston and rests their shoulders together. Auston squeezes his hand. Mo thinks he understands why people cry at weddings.

There's a cocktail hour before the actual reception. Auston grabs two drinks off the table with a little placard that says “The Nina”. Mo isn't sure what it is, but there's a wedge of lime, a strawberry and a flower garnishing it. Auston turns around and glances at him before putting one down and picking up a “Sean” from the next table. 

“You are just racking up points tonight,” Mo says, accepting his drink. 

“I'm a fantastic boyfriend.” 

“The best.” Auston doesn't really pay attention, too busy scanning the trays of food moving through the crowd.

Mo relaxes as he sips on his drink. He’s so relaxed that when Auston sidles up to him he slips his arm around his waist. 

He doesn't ever really let himself touch Auston, even though the team touches each other all the time, so it wouldn't be out of the ordinary. But like this, his palm flat against Auston's waist he worries he'll never be able to stop. Auston's shirt is damp from sweat, but Mo is addicted to how solid and strong he feels. 

They're in the middle of a conversation, but Mo is distracted, caught up in how Auston is absently stroking his thumb across Mo’s neck, just above his collar. 

Suddenly he becomes aware that people are looking to him expectedly. “Sorry?” He says.

“They want to know how we met.”

“Oh, we work together.” Everyone laughs at that. It's true, but people never consider being an athlete an actual job. 

“We want to hear the story,” a girl with a perfect blond bob says. Mo met her last night, he thinks her name is Chelsea.

Mo isn't sure he's ready to share his truth again, but also he doesn't really want to make something up. “Auston, you tell it.”

Austons thumb has stilled against his neck and Mo thinks he's going to demure, but he just smiles his bashful grin. “Alright, alright.”

There's a little yell around the group who immediately quiet as Auston clears his throat theatrically. Mo is excited to hear what over the top story he comes up with. 

“Mo and I played at Worlds together before my rookie season.”

“Aren't you Canadian?” Maybe Chelsea asks him. 

Mo thinks they're going to get derailed into a whole explanation of Team North America, but Auston seamlessly waves her off and continues. “So I already knew him when I got to camp. He'd been in the league for a few years, so he kind of showed me around.”

“Literally a few years,” Mo says. “I really am not that old.”

“Shush, cradle robber, I'm in the middle of my story.” Auston winks exaggeratedly. “So my rookie season is crazy. Mo is like my rock, but we’re also just good friends.”

So far Auston seems to be just telling the truth. They've never really talked about this, so it's nice Auston felt supported by Mo. It's what he’d wanted. 

“One time I invited him over for dinner. I wanted to cook, to prove that I was like adapting or whatever. So, I make this entire dinner, I did a good job and everything, but I go to serve it and I don't have any plates.”

“No silverware either,” Mo finally chimes in. “All he had were some take out chopsticks.”

“I was so fucking embarrassed, but we just ate quinoa and salmon with chopsticks off paper plates. Then, like a week later I get this package. It was a complete dishware set.”

Chelsea and the other woman standing with them awww in response and Auston grins. 

“But I was worried, because I'm kind of picky about my style.”

Mo rolls his eyes. “Auston lives for aesthetics.”

“I'm particular.” Auston hip checks Mo and continues. “So I'm ready to have to have a super awkward conversation thanking him for this really nice gift that I can't keep, because I hate it, but then I open it,” he pauses theatrically, “and they’re perfect.”

The girls let out another “awww” and Mo ducks his head. “I looked at so many fucking dish patterns.”

“Really?” Auston is looking at him and Mo feels flayed open. He hadn't had feelings for Auston yet, or at least hadn’t realized it. All he knew was he wanted Auston to be happy, to feel taken care of. He'd spent a week poring over china patterns before settling on one he thought Auston would like. 

“So then what happened?” 

“I, uh, made dinner for him again, and then I told him how I felt.”

Mo remembers that dinner even if the real version didn't go quite like that. Auston had candles lit all over his apartment when he'd arrived. He'd assumed there was someone coming over after, so he chirped Auston mercilessly and cleared out quickly after they ate. 

Mo keeps waiting for someone to call out the timeline discrepancies in their stories, but Dan isn’t there and no one seems to be thinking too much about the details anyway, more interested in the broad romantic details of two friends who fell for each other. 

The doors to the reception hall open and the wedding planner starts ushering people inside. 

“Did you really look at hundreds of plate patterns?” Auston leans in close. 

“No, I found the perfect one by accident.”

“I really do like it.”

“Yeah, I know.” He does know now. He didn’t at first, he was worried Auston was just being nice until he posted a picture to his finsta with a bunch of 100 emojis. 

Auston slips his hand around Mo’s. “Don’t let it go to your head. I’m still the best at gifts.”

“In your dreams.” 

“I made you look so good in front of all my friends,” Auston says as they make their way to table seven. “I’m a baller boyfriend.”

“Oh for sure, you’re so selfless.” Auston grins and Mo’s heart flutters, just like it always does. 

-

“Still can't believe you managed to convince someone as smart and beautiful as Nina to marry you, but I'm happy for you, bro.” Sean’s best man raises his glass and the rest of the room mirrors him. 

Mo glances at Auston as he finishes off his champagne and finds him already looking back.

“When we get married, I want Freddie to be in my wedding party,” Auston says. 

“Why can't we just share a wedding party?”

“Because there are rules, Mo.” Auston shakes his head. “We can't have anarchy at our wedding.”

“We haven't been dating a year, don't you think you're jumping the gun a little.” Mo likes flirting with Auston. He likes the way Auston focuses all of his attention on him.

“I know when to commit to something.” Auston drains the rest of his glass and Mo watches his throat work.

“And you wanna lock all this down?” Mo's mouth is bone dry. He's picturing it now. Maybe down here or on the water in BC. 

“Not right away, I'm chill,” Auston says. “Maybe after we win a cup. I'll put two rings on it.” He runs his thumb across Mo's knuckles. It sends goosebumps up his arm. 

Everyone else is watching Nina dance with her father, but they're sat against the wall, no one is paying any attention to them. Mo can't drag his eyes off Auston's face. 

“Will we register for new plates?”

“Fuck no, my plates are part of our origin story.” 

“Sure sure,” Mo says. “We gotta be the best married couple ever.”

“The Carricks are gonna have nothing on us.” 

Auston kisses him them. Just a quick peck, Mo barely has time to savor it. He closes his eyes and when they open Auston looks shocked, like he wasn't the one who did it. 

“Sorry,” he whispers. 

Mo is frozen. He feels like his entire heart is laid bare, but his brain jumps into gear like he's defending a two one one. 

“No worries,” Mo says. “You're my boyfriend, eh?”

Auston grins. “You know it, baby.”

The dance floor has started to fill; Mo thinks they probably missed the first dance if everyone is out there now. It's some disco song and there are at least three grandparents out there doing their thing. 

“So, are we going to live together before we get engaged or what?” Mo feels like he's pouring salt in the wound, but this will be the only chance he has to live in this fantasy and he can't stop himself from taking it. 

“Fuck yeah,” Auston says. He leans back in his seat, throwing his arm around Mo's back and resting his feet on someone's abandoned chair. He's not wearing socks and Mo stares at his ankles where his slacks ride up. “We’d have to figure out a CoD set-up so we could both play, but it would be the best roommate situation ever. Plus we'd bang.”

Mo laughs. The worst part is he can imagine it. They'd probably murder each other during the playoffs, but they could figure it out. He holds out his finger and Auston does the same, mirroring their post-game handshake. 

The music slows and before Mo even has a chance to freeze, Auston grabs his wrist. “Come on, Reilly. Dance with me.”

Auston leads him out to the middle of the dance floor, probably for maximum visibility. He takes Mo’s right hand in his and wraps his other arm around Mo's lower back. Mo follows his lead and they sway slowly to music, a country song he recognizes but doesn't know.

“Do you pick your suits specifically to make your eyes look more blue?” Mo is used to people commenting on his eyes, but not Auston.

“Yeah, my stylist told me to.”

“They’re nice.” Auston smiles. “Sorry that's so cheesy.”

“Even Auston Matthews isn't immune to these baby blues, eh.”

Auston doesn't break eye contact with him and Mo always thought Auston picked up so easily because he was Auston Matthews, but now he thinks he'd do just as well if no one knew his name. “They're all right.” It should feel like a neg, but the way Auston is looking at him is making his heart race. “Thank you for doing this for me.” 

“Of course,” Mo says. “That's what friends are for right?”

“I think I could be…” Auston looks down. “I could be a good boyfriend. Like, for real.” 

Mo's stomach feels like it just dropped out of a plane. It's been hard enough to watch Auston go home with random people every night, but watching him be with someone else seriously. His chest aches imagining it. 

“Of course you would.” He hates to think about it, but Auston is his friend, he's not going to not support him. 

“You think so?” Auston's eyes are so big and wide and Mo can feel his whole body pressed up against his.

“Obviously.” Mo has never wanted a song to end more. “You're good at everything you do.”

“I'm a pretty good kisser.” 

“I'm sure you are.” 

“If you aren't sure, I could show you.” Mo is regularly the only person on the blue line, the only one standing between an opposing team and a breakaway. He's used to staying calm. He's not sure he's ever felt like this. 

“I thought we were trying to show, Nina,” Mo says. “That you could be serious.” 

“She already knows I'm a good kisser.”

The music changes then, to a something more uptempo and Mo drops Auston's hand like it's burning him. 

The DJ’s voice comes booming over the music. “Can I have all the non-Married people to the dance floor please, it’s time for BOUQUET TOSS.” He says it like an arena announcer and Mo laughs. He starts to leave, but Auston grabs his wrist. 

“Come on, Reilly, that bouquet is ours.” 

“Oh fuck no,” Mo says. 

“I have to do everything in this relationship,” Auston says and turns to face where Nina is throwing the flowers in a long arc behind her and of course it comes straight at them, Auston leaping up and pulling it out of the air like a football. 

Auston turns around and holds the bouquet above his head in victory. 

Mo laughs and they jump into a chest bump. “That’s my man!” They’re so close, and Mo knows they’re surrounded by people watching them, but Mo is used to that. It feels like it’s just the two of them. 

That’s when Auston kisses him. Objectively it’s just a peck, closed mouth and short, but it feels electric. This time Auston doesn’t apologize. 

“We’re killing it as wedding dates.” 

“Are you surprised?”

“Nah, I knew our sweet on ice chemistry would translate.”

“Yeah, ok, I'm gonna grab a drink, you want?”

Auston examines the bouquet. “Whatever you're having.” 

Mo orders two glasses of the house red and a water, which he chugs while standing there. 

“You two are so fucking cute.” Mo turns to his left and its Brian, who he hasn't seen most of the night. 

“Thanks, man.”

“Auston Matthews, whipped as hell. Never thought I'd see the day.”

“He's not whipped.” 

Brian is clearly drunk. Not plastered, but Mo can tell from his voice. “Right, but he's like so into you. I saw one of the bridesmaids, the hot one too, try to talk to him and he blew her off.”

“He's loyal like that.” Mo is irrationally annoyed someone tried to hit on his fake boyfriend. 

“Bro, he didn't even look tempted.” He keeps trying to signal the bartender who keeps on ignoring him. 

Mo looks across the room and finds Auston at their table. He's on his phone, typing furiously. Mo pushes both the glasses of wine towards Brian and walks straight outside. 

It's finally cooled off enough to be pleasant. There are a few people smoking near one of the exits, but Mo walks past them to a little area that’s just a bench surrounded by succulents. He takes a few deep breaths and tries to clear his head. 

He never should have agreed to this. Day two of pretending to be Auston's boyfriend and he's already falling apart. 

The air is so still out here, Mo is starting to understand why Auston likes the desert, even if it does get hot enough to melt asphalt. He spends a couple minutes just staring out into the night, listening to the muted sounds of music and celebration from inside. He's just starting to feel embarrassed for being gone so long when he feels someone approaching. He knows it's Auston before he turns around. 

“This isn't the bar.”

“No kidding, the service is terrible, I've been waiting forever.”

Auston stands next to him. Not close enough to touch, just close enough. “Are you glad you came?”

It’s been so much more than Mo ever expected. It’s not enough, but he doesn’t need to tell Auston that. “Yeah, it’s perfect.” 

“Perfect?” Auston says. “My boyfriend hasn't even kissed me.”

“There's no one around to see,” Mo whispers back. The feeling in his belly is still there, but instead of sitting there like lead it's doing jumping jacks. 

“Exactly,” Auston says, right before kissing him.

Mo remembers his first NHL goal. How time seemed to stretch as he watched it go in and then compress again as everyone skated into him. This feels like that.

And then they're kissing, tentative at first until Mo slips his fingers in Auston's hair and then it's more frenetic, their hands grabbing at each other as they kiss fast and deep. 

Auston pulls back first, which makes sense, because if it were up to Mo they never would have stopped. He's like Cinderella, he's going to take everything he can get before his carriage turns back into a pumpkin. 

They rest their foreheads against each other and Mo opens his eyes enough to see Auston smiling. 

“No one would miss us if we just left,” Auston says. 

“Untrue, the Toews Baes are obsessed with you.” Auston lets out a short barking laugh. 

Mo pulls back a little. Auston has a hand resting on the side of his neck and he thinks maybe he'll stop him, keep him close, but he doesn't. He lets his hand slip from Mo's shoulder, down his chest and then pulls it back, so he's not touching him anymore. Mo misses the contact immediately. 

“You want to leave your ex's wedding early to go fool around?” The first year he had an A, when it was clear he wasn't getting the C, the team had him meet with a leadership coach. Most of what they talked about didn't stick, but one trick he learned was to repeat back to people what he thought they were saying. 

“You're my boyfriend.” Auston smiles again. His smooth smile, the one that always leads to someone following him out of the bar a minute later. 

“It's not real,” Mo says. He doesn't know why he's arguing this. It's what he wants, but also it's so much less than what he wants. 

“So what?”

Mo lets that linger in the air. It's a good line, a perfect one even. He wants to say that it’s not enough, that he wants it to be real. He doesn’t say that though. If this is what Auston is offering, he’ll take what he can get. 

“What's a wedding if we don't make the people in the room next to us uncomfortable, right?”

“Fuck yeah.” Auston grabs Mo's hand and leads him past the doors leading back into the party. They make slow progress back to the main building, because Auston keeps pushing Mo against every available surface to kiss him.

Mo thinks they're being a little sloppy, but he also doesn't care. Or, he does care, but not enough not to let Auston crowd into his space and kiss him breathless. 

He draws the line at the hotel lobby, playfully slapping Auston's hand away. 

“You're such a prude,” Auston says, pressing the elevator button repeatedly. 

“You just aren't accustomed to waiting.” 

“I've been waiting,” Auston whines and bodies Mo into the elevator. 

Mo doesn't point out that waiting ten minutes doesn't nearly compare to a year. He just lets Auston kiss him and wills his dick to hold off until they're back in their room. 

The moment the door to their room is closed Auston is back on him, pushing Mo's jacket off his shoulders and yanking at his tie. 

“Matts,” Mo moans. He's overwhelmed and Auston is acting as desperate as he feels. 

Mo rests his hand on Auston's cheek. “Aus, Auston.” It's the same on the ice. Sometimes guys will be panicking and you just need to say their name, let it cut through the noise. 

Auston looks up from where he's fumbling with the buttons on Mo's shirt. He's pretty sure at least one of which will have to be repaired. 

“God, Mo.” 

It's less frantic after that. Mo takes off his own shirt, then removes Auston's tie, watching his face the whole time. His hair is disheveled and his skin is flushed. Mo isn't sure he's ever looked more beautiful. It's a dangerous line of thought, so Mo kisses him again and pushes him towards the bed. 

Once Auston is sitting on the edge of the bed, shirtless and looking utterly debauched, Mo drops to his knees in front of him. This isn't something he's done much, but right now the only thing he can think of is getting his mouth on Auston. 

“Fuck, that's so hot.” Auston lifts his hips and lets Mo pull off his slacks and boxers in one go. He's hard already and his dick jumps a little when Mo wraps his hand around it, stroking experimentally. 

Mo takes a steadying breath and takes the tip of Auston's dick into his mouth. He's bigger than the guys Mo has done this with, and it's hard relaxing his jaw enough to make it work, but he keeps his hand moving while he does. It seems to be working for Auston. 

“Oh my God, Mo.” Auston is breathing heavy and he slips a hand into Mo's hair. “You're amazing.”

Mo looks up and Auston is staring down at him, so intensely he has to close his eyes. His jaw is starting to hurt, but he can taste pre-come on his tongue, and he thinks Auston is close. He hums in the back of his throat and Auston yelps at that, barely giving a weak warning before coming down Mo's throat. He rests his head against Auston's thigh. His dick is pressing against his zipper, but he ignores it while he catches his breath. 

“Hey,” Auston says, running his hands through Mo's hair. “Come up here.” 

Mo stands up, but Auston immediately manhandles him onto his back. He holds himself over him, undoing Mo's belt. He's rubbing spit and jizz all over Mo’s suit pants, but a dry cleaning bill seems a small price to pay for Auston Matthews naked and pressing him into the bed.

Once they're both undressed Auston crawls back up the bed to kiss him. Mo runs his hands up and down his back, feeling the way the muscles move. It's unreal finally getting to touch him like this after wanting it for so long. 

“Mo, what do you want?” Auston kisses him before he can even answer, which is just as good, because he doesn't know. He wants so much he feels like his chest might burst. 

Instead he guides Auston's hand to his dick. He’s so hard he gasps against Auston's mouth. The head of his dick rubs against Auston’s abs on every other stroke and it feels so perfect and filthy Mo starts thrusting his hips up to get more of it. 

“You wanna rub off on me?” Auston says it right in his ear, soft and dirty. He doesn't even wait for an answer, just shifts so he's between Mo's legs. 

Mo fumbles at first, but he finds his rhythm when Auston sucks a nipple into his mouth. He's thought about Auston's abs a lot. Has stared at them out of the corner of his eye even more. The friction isn't really enough to get him there, but he almost doesn't care, he could live forever in the feeling of thrusting his dick against Auston’s stomach. 

“You need my hand?” Auston flicks Mo's already sensitive nipple, like he's reminding him what his hands can do. As if Mo has gone a day without thinking about Auston's hands since the first time they played together. 

Mo nods and whines, and hopes that's enough, because he doesn't trust what he might say. There are a lot of words welling up in his chest and none of them are ones he can say out loud. 

Auston gets it, reads him as easily as he does on the ice. He wraps his hand around Mo and he's barely moved before Mo is coming harder than he has in months, maybe years. Maybe ever. God, he's so fucked. 

Auston wipes them down with one of their undershirts and gets them both under the blanket all while Mo is still coming down. 

It's barely even midnight, but Mo feels the weight of the day crashing down on him. Auston scoots closer until they're sharing a pillow, faces inches apart. It's too intimate, but he's too tired and happy not to rest a hand against Auston's chest. It's a futile, pathetic gesture, but Auston mirrors it anyway. As he drifts off to sleep his last thought is, _I wish this meant something to you_. 

-

Mo wakes up alone. He tries desperately to be relieved, but it cuts through his chest like a knife. 

He lays in bed for a few minutes trying to decide what to do. There are no texts from Auston, so presumably he'll be back soon and Mo doesn't know what he'll do when that happens. A thousand scenarios run through his mind and they all end in humiliation. 

He’s furious with himself for letting this happen. All he's ever wanted was to not fuck up his friendship with Auston and maybe keep his pride intact and now both of those are fucked. 

Without consciously deciding on it, he starts to pack. 

He texts Auston from the valet stand of the hotel. His car is still 10 minutes away, but he doesn't want to run into anyone in the lobby. He should probably call the concierge service about changing his flight, but he can't bring himself to do anything about it yet. 

He sees a car pull up just ahead of him. He thinks it's his Uber for a moment and by the time he realizes it isn't, it's too late. Watching Auston's face almost breaks his heart, he looks so happy to see Mo at first and his face slowly falls as it takes in his luggage next to him on the sidewalk. 

He's holding a tray from Starbucks and Mo knows without asking that one of them is a vanilla latte with almond milk and sugar free syrup. Auston is being thoughtful and Mo is running.

“What's up, Fours?” Mo isn't sure he's heard Auston's voice sound like this. He sounds like he might cry. 

“I'm really sorry.” A valet pushes by them and they move closer to the building. Mo still can't look at Auston. 

Auston takes a step closer. “You were leaving?” 

“Yeah.”

“What the fuck, Mo?”

“It's complicated.” 

His car pulls up then. The driver rolls down his window and says, “Morgan?”

“Sorry man, he has to cancel.” Auston balances the coffees on his hip and pulls some money out, handing it to the driver. “Here, for the inconvenience.”

The guy shrugs and drives off.

Auston doesn't turn fully toward him. “I didn’t think hit and quit it was your style.” 

“It's not,” Mo slumps against wall. “I freaked out, I'm sorry.”

“You regret hooking up with me that much?”

“You don’t understand.”

“You’re right I don’t.”

They stand in silence for what feels like an eternity until Brian and Chelsea slow to a stop, clearly coming back from a run.

“You two are up early,” Chelsea says, checking her heart rate. “I thought you were here until tonight. You're going to miss the brunch.”

Auston sends him a panicked look and Mo doesn’t want to to make drama for Auston. He steps closer to him, puts a hand on his arm and takes his coffee. “Auston is, but I'm filming a commercial and my agent called me in a panic this morning. Apparently I'm supposed to be there tonight to meet the director or something.”

“Fancy,” Brian says, slightly out of breath.

“Believe us, its not,” Auston says. His voice sounds relaxed, but Mo can feel the muscles in his back. 

Mo calls another Uber while they chat and its close enough that it pulls up while Brian and Chelsea are still standing there. Mo throws his bag in the trunk and turns back to Auston.

“I'll call you when I get to BC.” 

Mo leans forward to press a kiss to his lips. He only means to make it a quick peck, something to keep up the charade in front of Auston’s friends, but Auston makes a pained noise in his throat and Mo pushes in closer. Auston tastes like coffee. Mo deepens the kiss, feels it all the way in his feet.

Finally they pull away and Auston pulls his lip between his teeth. “Bye, Reilly.”

-

“Woah woah hold the phone,” Gards says. He'd been golfing when Mo called, but he must have sounded suitably tragic, because he stepped away. “You and Matts fooled around and then you left?”

Mo sighs. “It sounds really bad when you say it like that.”

“Yeah, bro that's cause it sounds real bad.”

Mo slumps lower in his chair in the least populated gate he could find in the Phoenix airport. “But you get it right? Why I had to leave.”

“Fuck no, I don’t get it at all.” It's a little windy where Gards is and the sound cuts out for a second. “You've wanted him forever and the minute you get it you jet?”

Mo feels like his blood freezes in his veins. “You knew? Did everyone know?”

“Bro, I'm your best friend, of course I knew.” Jake takes a breath, so Mo knows he's about to give a lecture. “I know you didn’t want to talk about it, so I never pushed.”

“Did everyone know? Did Auston know?”

“Why is that what you're worried about right now?”

“Because I don't want to fuck things up for us, or the team.”

“Mo, you fucked him and then left while he was getting coffee, the ship has sailed on you not fucking this up.”

“Yeah, but this we can recover from. If I tell him how I feel, there's no going back.”

“Fuck, Mo.” There's a long pause on the other end, long enough that Mo checks to see of the call had dropped. “You didn't ask for my advice, but there are a lot of ways to hurt people and most of them don’t tend to involve being honest about your feelings.”

“Yeah.” Mo's mind is racing. They're calling his flight, but he stays where he is. “Thanks, man. Sorry I interrupted your golf.”

“Anytime. Love you, Boats.”

“Love you too, man.”

Mo sits there for a long time. 

-

Mo's throat feels swollen shut as he knocks on the hotel room door. He doesn't think there are any wedding events still happening, but Auston could be at lunch. He could have left, gone back to Scottsdale to see his mom. Mo is just considering turning around and going back to the airport when Auston opens the door.

“Mo?” 

“Hey, can I come in?” 

Auston doesn’t look like he’s showered yet, his hair is disheveled and he’s wearing the same Leafs sweatshirt he was this morning. He steps out of the way so Mo can squeeze by. 

Mo puts his bags on the floor, but doesn't move further into the room. He takes a deep breath. “I have some things I want to tell you.”

“Is one of them ‘I'm sorry’?” Auston leans against the door and puts his foot up. 

“Yeah, that's the first thing.” Mo lets his eyes find Auston's. He's not sure he's ever been so scared in his whole life. Not at the combine, or his first NHL game. He tries to square his shoulders. 

“I never should have agreed to this whole fake relationship thing.” Auston doesn't move from wear he's leaning and so Mo continues. “I'm in love with you.”

Auston doesn’t respond for a long time. “Why didn't you tell me?” He pulls his hoodie string back and forth. “Is it because you didn't think I was worth it?”

“What? No.” Mo feels absolutely rooted to the spot, even though he desperately wants to reach out. “Is that what you think? Jesus, Matts, of course you're worth it.”

“Then why didn't you tell me?” Auston isn't meeting his eyes. He's looking at everything in the room except Mo.

Mo's stomach roils. This whole time he'd pretended he was protecting Auston, but he'd been hurting him. “I didn't think you wanted the same thing as me and I was afraid of asking you for it.”

“Asking me for what?” Auston looks at him now, his face defiant. 

Mo wants to deflect, leave it up to Auston, but that's how they got here. He takes a deep breath. “I want to be with you. I want,” his throat feels like it could close at any second. “I want everything with you.”

“Oh.” 

“Yeah.” Mo sort of wants throw up.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity Auston speaks.

“I’m so pissed at you.” 

Mo swallows around the lump in his throat. “I know.” 

“If you were my boyfriend and you ditched me at my ex’s wedding I would dump you so hard.”

“I know.” 

“I wish you’d told me.” Mo is about to tell him that he knows, he fucked up, but Auston raises his hand. “But I wasn’t totally honest with you either.”

Mo drags his eyes up from where he’s been staring very intensely at the geometric patterns of the carpet. 

“I didn’t really want to prove I could be serious to Nina,” Auston says. “I wanted to prove it to you.”

“Oh.”

After what feels like an eternity Auston approaches Mo, put his hands on the dresser on either side of him. They're barely touching, but Auston is so close. “Oh for sure.” 

Mo laughs and Auston smiles back. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” 

“Glass houses, dude.”

Auston slides his hand up Mo's neck. His palm is warm and Mo likes the feeling of the calluses against his skin. When Auston kisses him it feels like slipping into a warm bath. Mo sighs against his lips and Auston kisses him deeper, crowding him against the dresser. 

“God, Auston.” Mo rests his forehead against Auston's and takes a steadying breath. His heart is pounding in his chest. He still doesn’t know if he can look at him directly, he feels so vulnerable, like at any moment it could just slip away. 

Auston breathes out. “Yeah.” He pulls Mo towards the bed while pulling his t-shirt over his head. 

They’re slower than they were last night. Their hands are exploratory and Auston keeps cupping Mo’s face in his palm when they kiss. Mo feels like he could do this forever, just make out and hold Auston close. Eventually Auston takes both of them into his hand and strokes them slowly. Mo moans and Auston kisses him, swallowing the noise. 

They both come like that, so close they’re sharing air and stay like that for a long time, breathing together, Mo tracing his fingers across Auston’s skin. 

When they’re mostly recovered they finally make use of the hot tub. Mo goes to put on his swim trunks, but Auston grabs them and tosses them across the room. 

“Come on, Mo, we’re banging now.” 

“You’re such a nudist,” Mo says, but follows Auston outside. There are shrubs creating a barrier between him and any peeping toms, but he still cups his hand over himself as he climbs in the water. Auston laughs and splashes him. 

“So, what made you come back?”

Mo takes a breath and thinks about the hour he’d spent at the airport, listening to the final calls for his flight, unable to make himself leave. “I guess I thought you deserved to know the truth.” 

“So, like, it wasn’t to come back and sweep me off my feet?” Auston runs his foot up the side of Mo’s leg. 

“That was not an outcome I imagined, no.” 

“You came back to tell me the truth thinking I was going to turn you down?” Auston moves across the water and perches himself on Mo’s lap. 

“Don’t make it sound so pathetic, Matts.” 

“It’s not pathetic,” Auston says. “I just can’t believe you’d do that for me.”

“I’d do anything for you, Matthews.” 

Auston smiles, and Mo thinks it’s his favorite smile of all, because now he gets to lean in and kiss it.

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thank you to my Beta C, who helpfully pointed out that the draft I sent him did not have like half the most important scenes in a wedding fic.


End file.
